Let us first go through a simple real life situation.

John was working as a key accounts head with a leading advertising firm. He had four members
reporting to him. Unfortunately, he always under estimated his team members and fought with
them constantly. He could never trust them and always thought they were incapable of doing
good work. One fine day, he got some major assignment from one of his clients which was to be
submitted within two working days. He decided to do it all alone as he thought nobody else
could do it apart from him. John could never submit his assignment on the required day and
received good criticism from his superiors. His organization also lost one of their major and
prestigious clients. 

Why do you think John failed? Why could he not complete his assignment on time? 

Here comes the importance of a team. Had John taken the help of his team members, he would
have finished his assignment on time and everyone would have appreciated him. 

An individual cannot perform all tasks on his own. He needs the support as well as guidance
of others to be excellent in whatever he does. Complex goals can easily be accomplished if
individuals work together as a team. 

What is a team? 

A team is a group of individuals, all working together for a common purpose. The
individuals comprising a team ideally should have common goals, common objectives and
more or less think on the same lines. Individuals who are not compatible with each other can
never form a team. They should have similar if not the same interests, thought processes,
attitude, perception and likings. 

Difference between Group and Team 

A group is not necessarily a team. A group can have individuals with varied interests,
attitude as well as thought processes. It is not necessary that the group members would have a
common objective or a common goal to achieve. 

What happens in a political rally? The political leader appeals to the individuals to cast the votes
in his favour only. Do you think all of them would cast the votes in favour of the leader? There
would always be some individuals who would support his opponent. This is example of a group.
All individuals gathered on a common platform but had dissimilar interests and likings. Some
were in favour of the leader while some against. 

A team must have individuals with a common objective to achieve. They should all work
together and strive towards the achievement of a common goal. 

What happens in a cricket team? 

All the players have a common focus and a common objective. Everyone, the captain, the
wicketkeeper, the bowlers, the fielders all work together to achieve a common target i.e. win the
game. No one ever thinks of losing the game. 

It is not only the individuals who form a team; even animals can constitute a team. Go to any hill
station and one can spot many horses all working for a common goal i.e. Carry people to the hill
top and bring them back. 

Team members 

The team members must complement each other. All team members should help each other and
work in unison. Personal interests must take a back seat and all of them must deliver their level
best to achieve the team objective. Team members must not argue among themselves or
underestimate the other member. 

Organizations have a sales team, administration team, human resources team operation team and
so on. All the members of the sales team would work together to achieve the sales target and
generate revenues for the organization. 

Team Size 

The team size depends on the complexity of the task to be accomplished. Ideally a team should
consist of 7-10 members. Too many members also lead to confusions and misunderstandings. 

STAGES OF TEAM BUILDING 

1. Forming 
The first stage of team development is forming, which is a lot like orientation day at college or a
new job. You could even compare it to going out on a first date. 

The team has just been introduced and everyone is overly polite and pleasant. At the start, most
are excited to start something new and to get to know the other team members. 

During this stage, you may discuss: 

 Member’s skills, background and interests 

 Project goals 
 Timeline 
 Ground rules 
 Individual roles 
As the group starts to familiarize themselves, roles and responsibilities will begin to form. It is
important for team members to develop relationships and understand what part each person
plays. But, because this stage focuses more on the people than on the work, your team probably
won’t be very productive yet. 

  

In this stage, most team members are positive and polite. Some are anxious, as they haven't fully
understood what work the team will do. Others are simply excited about the task ahead. 

This stage can last for some time, as people start to work together, and as they make an effort to
get to know their new colleagues. As leader, you play a dominant role at this stage, because team
members' roles and responsibilities aren't clear 

2. Storming 
Have you ever reached the point in a relationship where you become aware of a person’s
characteristics and they frustrate or annoy you? Perhaps they squeeze the toothpaste from the top
of the tube instead of the bottom? Eat with their mouth open? Or they listen to the same Drake
song 15 times in a row? 

Well, congrats, you’ve entered the storming stage. 

  

Being in a team is like being in a relationship. At first, you may think someone is perfect and
flawless. But, then you realize that they aren’t. Once you’re aware of their flaws, you either learn
to embrace them or the relationship will end quickly. 

  

In the storming stage, the reality and weight of completing the task at hand have now hit
everyone. The initial feelings of excitement and the need to be polite have likely worn off.
People start to push against the boundaries established in the forming stage. This is the stage
where many teams fail. 

Storming often starts where there is a conflict between team members' natural working styles.
People may work in different ways for all sorts of reasons but, if differing working styles cause
unforeseen problems, they may become frustrated. Personalities may clash. Members might
disagree over how to complete a task or voice their concerns if they feel that someone isn’t
pulling their weight. They may even question the authority or guidance of group leaders. 

Storming can also happen in other situations. For example, team members may challenge your
authority, or jockey for position as their roles are clarified. Or, if you haven't defined clearly how
the team will work, people may feel overwhelmed by their workload, or they could be
uncomfortable with the approach you're using. 
Some teams skip over the storming stage or try to avoid conflict at whatever cost. Avoidance
usually makes the problem grow until it blows up. So, recognize conflicts and resolve them early
on. 

  

3. Norming 
Gradually, the team moves into the norming stage. This is when people start to resolve their
differences, appreciate colleagues' strengths, and respect your authority as a leader. 

  

Groups start to settle into a groove. Everyone is contributing and working as a cohesive unit.
Now that your team members know one another better, they may socialize together, and they are
able to ask one another for help and provide constructive feedback. 

  

Of course, you may still think that your tech guy’s choice in music is obnoxious. But, you also
admire his knowledge of web design and coding skills, and value his opinions on anything tech-
related. People develop a stronger commitment to the team goal, and you start to see good
progress towards it. 

Storming sometimes overlaps with norming. As new tasks arise, groups may still experience a
few conflicts. If you’ve already dealt with disagreement before, it will probably be easier to
address this time. 

4. Performing 
If you’ve reached the fourth stage, pat yourself on the back. You’re on your way to success. 

In the performing stage, members are confident, motivated and familiar enough with the project
and their team that they can operate without supervision. Everyone is on the same page and
driving full-speed ahead towards the final goal. 

The fourth stage is the one that all groups strive to reach. Yet, some do not make it. They usually
fail to overcome conflict and can’t work together. 

The team reaches the performing stage, when hard work leads, without friction, to the
achievement of the team's goal. The structures and processes that you have set up support this
well. 

It feels easy to be part of the team at this stage, and people who join or leave won't disrupt
performance. As leader, you can delegate much of your work, and you can concentrate on
developing team members. 
  

5. Adjourning 
Once a project ends, the team disbands. This phase is sometimes known as mourning because
members have grown close and feel a loss now that the experience is over. 

  

  

What is Team Management? 

Team management refers to the various activities which bind a team together by bringing
the team members closer to achieve the set targets. For the team members, their team must be
their priority and everything else should take a back seat. They should be very focused on their
goals. 

Let us understand Team Management with the help of a real life situation. 

Maria was representing the training and development vertical of a leading firm. Joe, Kathy,
Sandra and Tim were reporting to Maria and helped her in designing the various training
programs. Maria left no stone unturned to ensure that all her team members were satisfied with
their job responsibilities. The workload was shared equally among four of them. Ideas were
discussed on an open forum and each of them contributed to his level best. They went out for
movies and stayed in touch even after work. 

Maria being the team leader was actually responsible for bringing her team members closer so
that none of them feels left out and all are motivated to deliver their level best. With the help of
the team management activities, she managed to create a positive ambience at the workplace and
promoted healthy competition in her team. 

Team Management Skills 

 For effective team management, it is important that the team leader is more of a
mentor to his team members rather than just being a strict boss. Understand your
team members well. Gone are the days when people used to fear their bosses. Now a
days employees share a healthy relation with their superiors and the comfort level has
increased to a large extent. Don’t impose things on them. 

 Ensure that each and every team member willingly participates in team
discussions. Debates are important, but make sure you don’t end up fighting with
each other. Suggestions must be invited from all and do not discuss issues separately
with individuals. Call everyone on an open forum and formulate strategies keeping in
 mind every body’s inputs. Policies should be made best suited to all. The objective of
the team must be clearly set and circulated among all the team members. Everyone
should be aware of his roles and responsibilities in the team. 

 Communication among the team members must be clear and transparent for an
effective team management. Every team member should get the same information
and should have an easy access to the superiors in case of any query. 

 The team members must not pass on any information to anyone outside the
team. Learn to keep things to yourself. It is unethical to share your professional
secrets with others. Don’t leak information or any confidential data. 

 The team members must be motivated on a regular basis. Appreciation is a must.

If any team member has performed extraordinarily, do give him a pat on his back.
Performance appraisals, perks, incentives, trophies, prizes are all instrumental in
motivating the team members to perform even better the next time. Avoid criticizing
any of your team members. 

 Loose talks, blame games, dirty politics should find no place in the team. They
spoil the environment and people lose interest in their work and organization. If you
come to know anything about someone, it’s better to discuss with him face to face,
else ignore. 

 It is easy to create a team but it is actually difficult to bind the team members together
and even make them work. Team management techniques help in strengthening the
bond among the employees and creating an environment where they can trust each
other. People actually become friends and start working together as a result of team
management activities. 

  

What is Team Work? 

The sum of the efforts undertaken by each team member for the achievement of the team’s
objective is called team work. In other words, team work is the backbone of any team. 

Every member in a team has to perform and contribute in his best possible way to achieve a
common predefined goal. Individual performances do not count in a team and it is the collective
performance of the team workers which matters the most. 

Let us go through a real life situation. 

One cannot work alone in any organization and thus teams are formed where individuals work
together for a common objective. Peter, Michael, Jackson and Sandra represented the legal team
in a leading organization. Peter and Michael always took the initiative and performed their level
best while Jackson and Sandra had a laidback attitude towards work. Their team could never
meet their targets inspite of Peter and Michael’s hard work. 

Peter and Michael worked hard, then why do you think their team fell short of targets? 

In a team; everyone has to work equally for the maximum output. 

Team work is actually the collective effort of each and every team member to achieve their
assigned goal. No member can afford to sit back and expect the other member to perform on his
behalf. The team members must be committed towards their team as well as their organization to
avoid conflicts. Nothing productive comes out of unnecessary conflict and in turn diverts the
concentration and focus of the team members. Every member should adopt an adjusting and a
flexible attitude. One should consider his team members as a part of his extended family all
working together towards a common goal. The team members must be dependent on each other
for the best to come out. 

Tips for a better team work 

Let us go through some steps for a better team work 

 Think about your team first - Every individual should think of his team first and his
personal interests should take a backseat. Do not mix your personal issues with your
professional life. Keep them separate. 

 Never underestimate your team member - Do not neglect any of the members, instead
work together and also listen to them as well. Never try to impose your ideas on any
member. Avoid demotivating any team member.</b 

   

 Discuss - Before implementing any new idea, it must be discussed with each and
every member on an open platform. Never ever discuss with anyone separately as the
other person feels left out and reluctant to perform and contribute to the team. 

 Avoid criticism - Stay away from criticism and making fun of your team members.
Help each other and be a good team player. Be the first one to break the ice and
always create a friendly ambience. If you do not agree with any of your team
member, make him understand his mistakes but in a polite tone and do guide him.
Avoid negativity within the team. 

 Transparency must be maintained and healthy interaction must be promoted

among the team members. The communication must be effective, crystal clear and
precise so that every team member gets a common picture. Effective communication
 also nullifies misunderstandings and confusions. Confusions lead to conflicts and
individuals waste their time and energy in fighting rather than working. 

 The team leader must take the responsibility of encouraging the team members
to give their level best and should intervene immediately in cases of conflicts. The
personality of the leader should be such that every team member should look up to
him and take his advice whenever required. He should not be partial to any member
and support each of them equally. It is the duty of the team leader to extract the best
out of his team members. 

 For better team work, try to understand your team members well. Do not just always
talk business, it is okay if you go out with your team members for lunch or catch a
movie together. It improves the relations and strengthens the bond among the team
members. The team members must trust each other for maximum output.</b 

   

 Avoid conflicts in your team. Don’t fight over petty issues and find faults in others.
One should be a little adjusting with each other and try to find an alternative best
suited to all the team members. 

 Rewards and Recognition - Healthy competition must be encouraged among the

team members. The performance of every team member must be evaluated timely and
the best performer should be rewarded suitably so that the other members also get
motivated to perform. Recognitions like “The Best Team Player” or the “The Best
Performer” go a long way in motivating the team members. Appreciate the member
who performs the best or does something unique. 

  

Barriers

When a cricket team loses a game of cricket, we often hear people saying “The batsman did not
understand what his fellow batsman wanted to communicate, ran for a run and got out” 

“There was poor coordination between the bowler and the fielder” 

“The batsman was actually more interested in completing his century rather than winning the
game” 

“The fielder was lazy and could not save the run” 
What do the above factors indicate? 

They are actually the various hurdles which prevented the cricket team to win the game. 

The barriers to team building restrict the team members to perform and eventually their
performance goes down and the organization is at loss. 

Let us understand the various barriers to team building and the methods to overcome
them: 

 When individuals give priority to their personal interests than work, the team
suffers. 

Mike never wanted to have a team meeting in the morning as he had to first drop his son to
school and then his wife to her office. The agenda of the day could never be discussed and
everyone worked on their own sweet will. Mike was more concerned about his son’s school and
wife’s office. They are important but not at the cost of one’s office. Nothing ever productive
came out of Mike’s team as he himself never really was serious about his work. For the
maximum output, the team members must think of their team first and everything else should
come later. One has to respect his team as well as his organization to expect the same in return. 

 Individuals not being clear about the team’s goal and their roles and
responsibilities in the team also create problems in effective team building. The
goal has to be common. Individuals should not have separate goals. 

For a marketing team the goal is to generate revenues for the organization and every one
including the team leader has to work towards it. 

 The roles and responsibilities must be designed according to the team member’s
interest, educational qualification and specializations. 

John, Ali, Kate and Ben were part of the sales team in an organization of repute, but Kate was
more interested in helping the operations team. She was never too keen in marketing activities
and accepted it just because of pressure from the management and the fear of losing the job. She
was more interested in finding a place in the operations team rather than focusing on her work.
Individuals should not accept responsibilities unless and until they are very sure about it. It is
better to say a no in the beginning rather than troubling yourself and others later. 

When a team is formed, the team members are almost new to each other. They do not know each
other well and feel shy and hesitant. It is important to break the ice among the employees in the
very beginning otherwise it becomes a strong barrier later. We are not robots who can start
working just by the push of a button and work non-stop without even talking to each other.
Human Beings must talk to each other, discuss things among themselves and trust each other.
Don’t always assume that everyone is jealous of your work and will harm you. Trust people, it
will reduce half of your tensions. 
  Lack of discussions is again a barrier to effective team building. Team members
must not sit quietly in team meetings, instead should speak their heart out. One must
participate willingly. Debates are important and strategies or policies should not be
implemented without evaluating the pros and cons. Every team member must have a
say in the team’s decisions. Don’t attend meetings just for fun, come prepared. 

 Poor communication is also one of the barriers to effective team building. Too
much of a complicated hierarchy also result in poor and ineffective communication.
Unorganized thoughts and abstract ideas create misunderstandings and confusions
among the team members and in turn decrease the productivity of the team.
Individuals should be very careful about what they speak. One should never use
derogatory statements or lewd remarks in the office. It is better to communicate
through mails as it is more reliable. 

 Lack of discipline and punctuality also create problems in team. Never be late for
work. It is unprofessional to keep others waiting. Always reach before time for team
meetings and discussions. One should also maintain the decorum of the workplace.
Do not indulge yourselves in unproductive things. Don’t loiter around unnecessarily. 

One should never forget the objective of his team. Adopt a positive attitude and always strive
hard to give your level best .  

Role of Motivation and Attitude in a Team 

You need a match stick for fire, you need ink for a pen to write, and similarly an individual needs
motivation to perform. Every individual has some latent talent and needs a push for the talent to come
out. Without motivation, the team members feel reluctant to work and also tend to spread negativity
around. Human beings are hungry for praise and appreciation. It is the prime duty of the team leader to
appreciate his team members whenever they have done something great. This way they feel happy and
motivated to perform even better the next time. 

Set a deadline for the submission of work. All the employees submitting the work within the stipulated
time frame must be appreciated in public. Circulate a mail among all the employees appreciating your
team member’s efficiency. Any person coming out with a brilliant idea should be suitably rewarded. It is
not always you give cash to motivate your employees, but even small tokens of appreciation can make a
difference. Reward your team member with anything he likes. Appreciating one member does not mean
you will neglect or criticize the other members of the team who could not perform up to the mark this time.
It is the duty of the team leader to motivate them so that they perform well the next time. Ask them to
“BUCK UP”. 

A single member’s performance can hardly make a difference to the team’s performance; every member
has to contribute equally for the maximum output. Celebrate your team’s success inviting all your
team members. Take them out for a lunch to a nearby restaurant. They will feel happy and also come
closer to each other this way. Give a pat on their back to appreciate their hard work. 
Titles such as “Best Employee of the month” and “Best Team Member” also go a long way in
motivating the team members. The names of the best performers must be displayed on the notice
boards for everyone to see. 

Incentives and perks also motivate the employees to a large extent. If any team member does
something outstanding do not forget to appreciate him on an open forum and also ask the other members
to reach to his level as well. 

Avoid making fun of your colleagues. It is considered highly unprofessional. Don’t spread negativity
around. Don’t depend on blame games or spread unnecessary rumours about your team members. 

Motivation alone can’t create wonders; it needs to be coupled with positive attitude of the team members
to ensure high performance of the team. Adopt a positive attitude at work. Do not always find faults in
others. Listen to your team members as well. Don’t assume things or draw conclusions on your own.
Be a little more flexible and adjusting to avoid conflicts at work place. Sit and discuss issues with your
team members to reach to an alternative. Results can’t be achieved unless and until you believe in
yourself. The will power to do something is important. One should have the urge to perform. 

Always try to look at life from a larger perspective. Things cannot always be the way you like, it is better to
accept things as it is sometimes. Remember after heavy rains, there is always a clear sky. Problems
might crop up anytime, but it is always better to grin and move on. Do not overreact on petty things. 

Don’t be too adamant or rigid, instead be a little forgiving. It is absolutely okay if you take the
initiative and say “Sorry”. This magical word goes a long way in reducing conflicts to a large extent. Don’t
unnecessary create tensions for others and yourself as well. 

Don’t be disheartened if someone comes to you and corrects you for your mistakes; do take it in a
positive and healthy way. Do not step in the office with a mind clouded with negative thoughts. Everything
seems wrong to you and you unnecessarily fight with people around. 

Team members must adopt a positive attitude to avoid tensions and misunderstandings at work place.
Positive attitude with a little motivation can actually create wonders for the team.